TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi says that the Indonesian Government will soon respond to the Qatar gulf rift. The incident will affect the operations of Qatar Airways, which is not granted access to the countries that have severed their diplomatic ties with Qatar, namely Saudi Arabia, Uni Arab Emirate, Egypt, Bahrain.

“We are truly saddened by the decision. But, no matter what, we must provide a substitution for for the people. We can fix this,” Budi said Tuesday, June 6.

The Transportation Ministry, among others, is preparing to transfer the passengers that originally planned to fly to Saudi Arabia on Qatar Airways, with flights from Saudi Arabian and Garuda Indonesia, the minister said.

Meanwhile, for those planning to fly back from Saudi Arabia by Qatar Airways to Indonesia will be transferred to flights provided by Saudi Arabian, Garuda Indonesia, and Turkish Airlines.

“There are many substitutions for air accessibility. It could be from Qatar’s neighbors such as Emirates, Etihad, Turkish, Saudi Arabian, and we also have Garuda Indonesia. We’ll coordinate this plan in the near future,” he explained.

Budi himself is optimistic that the Qatar gulf rift will only last temporarily.

In another occasion, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya says that Indonesia could potentially lose foreign tourists arrival who usually fly with Qatar Airways. Especially from the four countries that have severed diplomatic ties with Qatar.

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